Bow-socket for buggy-tops



(No Model.)

J. C. COSS. BOW SOCKET POR BUGGY TOPS.

No. 445,046. Patented Jan. 20, 1891.

NVENTOR.

/7` ESSES,

ATTORNEY1 rrnn Sftnfrns lPartant* OFFICE.

JAMES O. COSS, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

sow-SOCKET FOR eUeev-Toss.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,046, dated January20, 1891. Application filed May 10, 1890- Serial No. 351,214. (Nomodel.)

T0 JZ wh/011?, 'it may concern:

lie it known that l, JAMES C. Cess, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mansiield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bow- Sockets for Buggy-'.lops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to bow-sockets for buggy-tops, and is animprovement in the class of bow-sockets employing wood fillers and steelstrengthening or re-ent'orcing plates or strips in conjunction with thewood filler, substantially as shown and described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal central sectionof one of my improved sockets, showing the relation of the parts whenunited for use. Fig. 2 is a plain elevation of the form of wood iillingused. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the steel strengthening-platehaving its upper end broken ott. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of Fig. l online .as and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line y y, Fig. l. Fig. G is aside view of a portion of one of the usual slatirons. Fig. 7 is alongitudinal section ot one of the forward sockets without the steelplate.

lt is well known that the point of strain and breakage in a bow-socketis at or about its junction with the slat-iron, where to secure symmetryin construction and appearance and to effect the union with theextremity of the solid slatiron the tube providing the socket for theboard is tapered and reduced to very slender proportions. Being thusreduced in size the tubeis necessarily weakened, and hence the danger ofbreakage. For this reason various means have been adopted by differentmanufacturers to overcome or remedy this danger and to render the socketstrong and firm at this point.

Myimprovement is of the nature ol the earlier inventions in this art, inwhich a slotted wood ller was employed and a steel strip centrally insaid filler, and is designed to overcome certain defects in suchstructures and to improve and simplify the same.

AV represents the usual tube, secured to the Slat-iron B at its lowerend and providing a socket at its upper end for the bow C. Thestrengthening means are located wit-hin this tube, and consist in a woodiiller D, having a central longitudinal slot or slit d extending fromthe lower end ot the short stem d to near the top of the filler. Thesaid filler has a long stem (Z2 extending down to the slatiron and ashort stem adapted to work in connection with the plate E, as clearlyshown in Fig. l. The filler is further constructed with beveled orcutaway corners d3, giving it a hexagonal form and adapting it better tolill the tube to the best advantage to impart to it the additionalstrength a strong wood filler affords, and yet leaving it out of contactwith the tube at its iiat sides, so as to leave room for the inside seama of the tube.

H eretofore when a filler was employed which fully occupied the tube atall points it was necessary to cut a longitudinal groove in the fillerto accommodate said seam, and this necessitated the special handling ofeach and every filler and a special machine to vform said grooves, whichwas expensive in time and labor.

By my construction I sacrifice nothing of moment in strength, have firmbearings along the beveled edges in the tubes, and avoid the necessityof forming the groove u.. Any common planer suffices to make the iilleras used by me after it has been sawed one way to the tapering formadapting it to the tube, and this also avoids the special machinerynecessary to give the iilicr its original outlines before grooving,which was necessary when it was made oval in cross'sectiou like thetube.

E represents the steel or other firm metalv plato. rllhis plate has itslower end, where the greater stress naturally comes, pressed into asubstantially semicircular form in cross-'secr tion, or in such `form orcurvature as will adapt it to the surface of the Slat-iron B about theneck thereof beneath the tube A. Thus constructed, the said plate is setedgewise across the direction of strain or stress, and by reason ofbeing curved in cross-section a plate ot' a given size isgreat-lyincreased in strength. This also places it in the proper form tomake an eiective weld with the Slat-iron, and in practice the said iron,the plate E, and the out- IOO 'claim as new, and desire to side tube arefirmly welded together, nralzing a union 'that is' ei'zceedingly firmand sufficient to withstand the most excessive strains without danger ofbreaking. The fiat portion ot' the plate E occupies the slit in the woodfiller, and the short stem d terminates at, the bend in said plate,whilethe long stem (Z2 goes down to the Slat-iron. It will be observedthat the curved portion of the plate Eis also bent outward to fitclosely against the inside of thc tube, whereby the strength of eachpart is reenforced by the strength of the other.

The foregoing description relates more especially to the rear bows,which take the greatest strain of the set.. The forward bows are madewthoutthe steel plate and use only the wood filling.

Having thus described the invention, what I secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In a bow-socket, the tube and filler and a plate having its upper endin the filler and its lower end bent outwardand cu rved, substantiallyas described.

2. In a bow-socket, a strengthening-plate having itslower end curved incross-section and secured upon the outside of 'the Slat-iron,

an outside tube, and awood filler having` stems or niere'at'lengthsadapted 'to said strengthening-plate, substantially' as described.

In a bow-socket, a wood filler having beveled edges and fiat sides andstems of Varying lengths, and a strengthening-plate having a flatportion resting between said stems and a curved portion attached to theSlat-iron, and a tube inclosing' the said filler and plate,substantially as described.

4. In a bow-socket, an outside tube and a strengthening-plate rigid withthe spindle of the Slat-iron and curved therewith at its lower end, incombination with a {illernhaving a central slitinclosing the iiatupperportion of said plate, substantially as described.

5. In a bow-socket, the combination of the tube A, the slotted Eller D,and the plate E, bent and curved at its lower end, substantially asdescribed.

Titness my hand to the foregoing specification this th day of April,1890.

JAMES C. COSS. fitnessesz HORACE R. WARD, L. S. SMITH.

